Introduction
The Small Package Express Delivery Industry is one of the industries where transportation and logistics giant, FedEx, is heavily involved in. Small Package Delivery pertains to a service wherein a company, which in this case would be FedEx, would accept payment from customers and other business owners in exchange of guaranteeing that their small packages would be delivered on or within a specified amount of time or a given schedule to their specified destination. Door to door small package delivery services have been a common service offering in this industry.
During the early 70s, at a time when electronic methods of sending and receiving packages and other things such as information were not yet discovered or at least popularized, people had to rely on something to get their messages and packages across. It turned out that that something was the package delivery industry. The objective of this paper is to discuss how the Small Package Express Delivery Industry evolved, focusing on how the American company Federal Express participated in its growth and evolution, and how it survived a decades-long battle with its competitors such as the United States Postal Service (USPS), the United Parcel Service (UPS), and the already dormant company in the small package delivery industry, DHL.
Analysis of the Federal Express’ Value Creation Frontier
The United States-based Company Federal Express is a package delivery and logistics company that has been one of the biggest players in the local and international industry for almost three decades. Reports and evidences suggest that FedEx’s strategic competitiveness, resilience, and large-scale and continuous growth in the industry have been largely fueled by its obsession with, a...
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...ved company outcomes at least over the long run and so there should be no reason why the company should not try to use such strategies again.
Works Cited
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UPS started delivering packages by air as early as 1929 with United Airlines operating ford Tri-motors. UPS’s first airline venture started as a 50/50 partnership with DHL in a company called International Parcel Express (IPX). IPX hired a group of former Transamerica employees to gain the air carrier certificate. With 60 aircraft in the fleet of IPX by 1987, it was becoming difficult to manage with all the different contract carriers and aircraft. UPS announced it would be taking over all air operations in 1988 and using the IPX certificate as the basis for UPS airlines. UPS Airlines started on January 28th 1988. Ten months after receiving the operating certificate from the FAA, UPS Airlines had grown to an operation of 94 aircraft. UPS airline was the fastest growing airline in FAA history.
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Business depends very critically upon Fed Ex. If Fed Ex had a major disruption to their delivery system, flowers would not be delivered on time, resulting in dissatisfied customers. For example, if Fed Ex employees went on strike, there would be no alternative equivalent to Fed Ex to deliver flowers to customers. UPS, although an alternative, did not deliver perishable products in the same timely fashion as Fed Ex.
The decision to open in Louisville was no mistake: the city of Louisville, Kentucky, serves as a major transportation hub for supplies and center for logistical support throughout the United States. Possessing an international airport with customs access allows UPS to be centrally located in t...
Real Threat of Substitute Products or Services: High customer satisfaction earned through conscientious drivers, high reliability, and Internet-based tools has kept UPS at the top. UPS has created an economic advantage by assembling a dense integrated global shipping network that is unlikely to be matched by any but a few global players.
Porter, Michael E. "From competitive advantage to corporate strategy." Harvard Business Review (1987): 43-59. Print. May 2014.
UPS is performing better than FedEx in financial performances. From 1997-1999, UPS reported average net profit margins of 6.5% while FedEx¡¦s was 2.8% and ROE of 25.2% for UPS and 10.6% for FedEx. Although UPS¡¦s net income in 1999 dropped significantly, it was result of a tax dispute, which should not affect the sustainability of the UPS financial performance. One of the factors driving this performance is the growth in the international delivery business. International operations in 1999 has accounted for 13% of the UPS¡¦s revenues and 5% of the operating profits. International package revenue grew 50% since 1994 and international...
Through the extensive use of technology UPS is no longer only a package delivery company. The technology driven growth model has not only helped UPS strengthen its current business, but also allowed diversification into varied business arenas. UPS’ subsidiaries now provide and supporting other services such as venture capital management and aviation equipment and professional services according to the client requirements.
The organization is able to build a barrier to new entrants in parcel industry. It is very expensive to set up the services that are equal to the existing organizations. There is high fixed cost associated with establishing the required international transport network. This includes ground transportation vehicles, depots, plants and a retail
The trucking industry over the years have changed the type of services and the quality that it has provides to its customers. In today’s industry the focus is on efficiency with the overall beneficiary being the American consumer. Majority of today’s freight is being transported by truck during sometime in the distribution chain. Some of factors the trucking industry is facing today include hours and earnings and safety issues.
Arthur, A., Thompson, Margaret, A., Peteraf, John, E. Gamble, A., J., Strickland III. (2014). Crafting & Executing Strategy: The Quest for Competitive Advantage 19e: Concepts & Cases. C6-C25.
A switch from premium overnight services to lower – margin deferred services and ground delivery services is an advantage to Airborne Express. With existing assets including trucks, tracking systems, regional hubs and sorting facilities, they only need minor initial investments to develop fully these kinds of services. They should use these assets wisely and effectively.
In August of 1971, Smith started his venture by buying controlling interest in Arkansas Aviation Sales. While operating his new firm, Smith recognized the tremendous difficulty in getting packages delivered within one- to- two days. This dilemma motivated him to do the necessary research for resolving the current inefficient distribution system. Thus, the idea for Federal Express was born: a company that revolutionized global business practices and now defines speed and reliability1.
In addition to the change in behavior of consumer, many companies or retailers change the sales channel combinations. The greatest impact of the Web-bases electronic revolution has occurred in companies adopting the click-and-mortar approach. Click- and-mortar is one the strategy used by the companies or retailers that they continue to conduct their business in the physical locations and have added the electronic commerce component to their business activities. According to one study, 37% of United States retailers are selling through a combination of the internet, in stores and catalogs. This represents a growing demand for the business-to-customer package delivery service.
3. WHAT HAS SEVEN-ELEVEN DONE IN ITS CHOICE OF FACILITY LOCATION, INVENTORY MANAGEMENT, TRANSPORTATION, AND INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE TO DEVELOP CAPABILITIES THAT SUPPORT ITS SUPPLY CHAIN STRATEGY IN JAPAN?